


Don't Falter

by Kunstpause



Series: Kinktober 2020 [8]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Blood, Blood Kink, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Female Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Kinktober 2020, Knifeplay, Named Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Oral Sex, Power Dynamics, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:40:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26887519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kunstpause/pseuds/Kunstpause
Summary: Day 8 - KnifeplayAfter Althea lost their last fight, Zenos took one of her weapons. She followed him back to Ala Mhigo to take it back - and might get more than she bargained for.
Relationships: Zenos yae Galvus/Warrior of Light
Series: Kinktober 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947166
Comments: 3
Kudos: 43





	Don't Falter

“You have something of mine.”

Althea’s voice felt unusually loud in the absolute quiet of the night. Breaking into the royal palace of Ala Mhigo had been considerably easier than she had expected it to be. Though, after finding the center of the palace almost deserted, not a single guard in sight, she had the distinct suspicion that it had been by design. In front of her, several yalms away, stood Zenos, seemingly engrossed by the view across the railing of the large balcony, not even deigning to acknowledge her presence by turning around.

“I did not expect you this soon,” he simply said, confirming her suspicions about the lack of security she had encountered. From his taunts on the battlefield, she had known he was expecting her, but she had not anticipated that he would go so far as to clear the way.

“You took my weapon,” she said, getting straight to the point. She was here for a reason after all. His blatant mockery of her defeat as he had taken one of her chakrams with a smile still present on her mind. “I want it back.”

“A trophy won fair and square in combat,” Zenos said, still looking over the darkened walls of the palace like he was completely unbothered by her presence. “I am inclined to simply keep it.”

From the more casual clothing he wore and the absence of his usual battle attire, Althea suspected he was unarmed. He had bested her twice before, but for once, the situation looked like it was in her favour with him being weaponless while she still had the second chakram hanging from her belt. Before she could think twice, she grasped her weapon. Speed had always been her greatest ally, and a second later, she sent the chakram flying, aiming precisely at his neck. 

It should have been over right then. By everything she had ever experienced, everything she knew about battle, this should have been it. She should have won. Yet with a casualness and a speed that nearly took her breath away, Zenos turned around, plucking the weapon out of the air like it was nothing. He didn’t even spare it a second look as he threw the piece of metal aside.

“If all you wanted to do is hand over the rest of your equipment, you should have just said so,” he said with a mocking smile on his lips, and Althea felt her blood boiling at his brazen confidence.

He was the living embodiment of all that she hated about herself. The cold distance, the numbness, the utter boredom at the mundane, the miserable existence without a challenge… but it was something even more dangerous somehow.

A mirror of her undesirable traits would have been something she could have ignored, but at the same time, Zenos managed to be almost everything she so desperately yearned to be. Unbound by the expectations of those around him, the freedom and single-mindedness to follow his heart’s desire, and the wild abandon with which he carried himself… 

He was everything she loathed and all that she wanted for herself at the same time. 

And he had the audacity to laugh at her. 

“I don’t need a weapon to fight you,” she hissed, going into a battle stance while she was still speaking. She expected more mockery, but to her surprise, there was something else entirely on his face. A genuine-looking smile and a spark in his eyes that looked like pure joy as he took a step toward her. 

“I hoped you would say that,” he said, still smiling, before he suddenly started to move. 

Althea knew he was fast. In their first encounter, she had underestimated him in that regard. Had assumed that his armor would slow him down, that he relied on brute strength alone to win his battles. By now she knew this wasn’t the case, and she reacted instinctively, dodging to the side at the last second. A gust of air as his fist flew past her spoke of just how close he had gotten. A second later, Althea threw herself to the ground to dodge another attack as he snapped around and came at her again. She jumped back up to her feet, barely missing the next blow aimed at her as he kept coming at her faster than anyone she had ever fought before. It took her dodging another three blows until she finally found her footing and started to go on the attack instead of only avoiding him.

She knew it was only a matter of time until she wouldn’t be able to avoid one of his hits, and when it finally came, she was prepared for it. Hot pain went through her arm and her shoulder as she didn’t manage to twist around fast enough and his fist collided with her, sending her staggering backward for a moment. But Althea ground her teeth, letting out a hiss as she pushed the pain aside. Without pause, she charged at him again, for the first time catching him slightly off-guard as her elbow hit its mark. And perfectly so, by the brief gasp of air he let out.

After that, everything started to become a blur. Dodging, striking out, taking hits and returning them whenever possible. There was no sound other than those of their strikes and their ragged breaths as they circled each other endlessly. Althea felt her constitution falter, her arms growing tired and her breath going faster. A taste of copper lay on her lips, and yet, she did not slow down. Could not slow down. 

She had no idea just how long they had been at this. Her body bruised, she pushed through the exhaustion until a thought made her almost falter. From the very beginning, she had been unsettled by the fact that Zenos never stopped smiling while they fought. The look on Zenos’ face had always felt wrong, out of place for what they were doing. Up until now. 

Althea almost doubled over, pain blossoming through her side as she didn’t manage to dodge his next hit. But it barely even registered over the far more important realization that she was smiling too. 

She had no doubt that a single mistake could get her killed in an instant, and yet she had never before felt so alive. 

She had only come here, only taken up his bait, because, after years of feeling next to nothing, he had made her so angry she had felt like a fire was burning under her skin. Where she had felt numb before, she was suddenly unable to calm down. Where nothing had managed to stir her interest in years, she had suddenly found herself with a fiery drive, a clear goal - to go after him. Getting the weapon he took back was little more than a justification for what she was truly after. 

Somehow, this infuriating, terrifying person in front of her had managed what no one else had done since Althea could remember. He managed to make her feel _something_. She wasn’t even entirely certain what exactly it was, but she knew she had to do everything she could to keep that feeling close. 

She imagined that, if anyone could see them, they looked like quite the spectacle, with their never-ending, bloody but intricate dance. Who led and who followed shifting from moment to moment. 

One step in front of the other, one back, always quick like a whirlwind, turned into something without start or end. Something that never even slowed down. Each movement was both exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. Always with the knowledge that it would take but one wrong move to be over. After all, one could not dare to misstep even once when dancing at the edge of such an abyss. Althea caught herself wondering what it would be like if she let herself fall. If it would truly be the end. 

She would never know. There was only one thing she was absolutely certain of. He didn’t want to kill her, but the moment she would stop fighting, he would.

The pain from her wounds was brighter, sharper than usual somehow. The air around them felt crisp and every sound more pronounced. Althea felt like her senses had awoken from a deep slumber, turning the entire world around her into something brighter, something more vivid and tangible. A short, bright burst of laughter left her as she lunged at him, her fist connecting with flesh as she marveled at the change inside her. Suddenly, she didn’t know why she had ever thought it strange that he smiled when they fought. What else was there to do when it was the most joyous thing she had ever felt?

And from the glint in his eyes shining brighter, and his smile growing wider with each hit one of them managed to land, Althea knew that he felt it too. That she wasn’t alone with this. Neither one of them was.

When she laughed again, something shifted. Suddenly, Zenos was close enough so she could feel his breath on her skin. Before Althea could twist out of his grasp, she felt her back hit the wall, dull pain running down her spine as the stones pushed harshly into it. She was about to get ready to throw herself forward and headbutt him with all her might when something gave her pause. A soft touch against her face followed by a sharp sting as his thumb dragged over her split lip, wiping away a stray of blood.

“Indeed, you didn’t need a weapon to fight me,” Zenos murmured, his eyes focussed on the trail of blood still on her lips. “And yet I still win.”

“You won’t keep winning,” Althea stated with a confidence that was surprising even herself. “I will beat you eventually!”

Again, he belied her expectations by looking at her with delight instead of anger at her audacity. “I do so hope you are right,” he said, his thumb brushing over her lower lip again, pulling ever so slightly until the bleeding started again. “But for now, you are defeated.”

Althea was strangely at ease with the notion. He had beaten her twice before, and both times, he had refrained from killing her. On the contrary, he had explicitly told her to live, to survive, the second time. That, combined with the way he was looking at her now had her almost completely certain that this was yet again not supposed to be her end. 

“I won’t stay defeated forever,” she said with a shrug and her most confident grin. “And I’m afraid I am all out of weapon-trophies for you to take.”

“So it would seem,” he said, sounding almost amused as he spared a glance toward her discarded weapon several yalms away from them on the floor. When he looked back, his eyes narrowed at her. “I shall have to take a different trophy then.”

And with that, a hot mouth closed over hers, and Althea felt herself shudder under his touch. As he pushed her firmer against the wall, teeth nipping on her lips, Althea realized that the fire under her skin had only been the beginning. With a deep groan, she pulled him closer, opening her mouth in surrender, ready to find out just how much more he could make her feel.

 _What was she even doing?_ Her eyes flew open as the thought ran through her with a painfully sharp edge. The whole reason why she had come to Ala Mhigo in the first place had been to help her friend. To help the Scions with something they deemed necessary. If anyone of them would see her right now, Thea knew they would probably be disgusted. Deeply disappointed. And they would certainly never trust her again.

With good reason, she knew. Because apparently, she couldn’t even trust herself. Not with him around. Zenos took that moment of her distraction to bite down on her lower lip. Not in a playful, teasing way but hard and unrelenting. A whimper of pain left her mouth, followed by a deep moan, and he swallowed both eagerly as Althea felt the desire building in her stomach. Its rippling currents shook through her body as she clawed her hand into his hair and neck.

 _No!_ She could not let herself do this, no matter how much she wanted to. Without thought, she twisted her arm, drawing the small knife strapped to her thigh out in one swift move, and before he could react, Thea drew back, a faint taste of copper on her lips as they separated from his.

Zenos stilled instantly against the solid press of cold steel against his neck as Thea held her small but sharp knife with a steady hand. He didn’t look even the slightest bit unsettled, and she wondered briefly whether to take that as a good or a bad sign. For a few seconds, they just stared at each other. His eyes were burning into her, unblinking and unmoving as Thea did nothing but hold the knife in place.

She should strike. Should have done so the second she drew the weapon. Without hesitation. Everyone else she knew would have. Wouldn’t have thought twice. Fury welled up in her as she watched the corners of his mouth go up in an unsettlingly satisfied smile. He had no business looking this smug, not when she had his life in her hands. And yet…

“Hesitation?” Zenos said in a mocking tone. “I would have expected better from you.”

“I should kill you,” Althea mumbled, her voice sounding more unsure than she liked, and she fastened her grip. “I have to kill you.”

Zenos’ eyes shone with amusement as he looked down at her. “You _want_ to kill me. You want it so much you are shaking with anticipation…” His smile widened ever so slightly, and Thea vehemently shook her head.

“No, I…” she started, before suddenly being at a loss of words. She could both feel and see the slight tremble in her arms. The almost unnoticeable twitch in her fingers. She didn’t want him to be right, but she couldn’t deny the surge of anticipation going through her.

“You come alive through conflict and you’ve tasted blood,” Zenos said at that moment, and it felt like his voice was crawling under her skin, both unsettling her and edging her on as he added, “And now your hunger knows no bounds.”

Thea swallowed as she felt her earlier denial slowly wither and slink away from her. Her eyes lingered on the blade of her knife as it rested against his throat, and she admitted with a whisper, “I _want_ to kill you!”

“And yet you hesitate…” Zenos mused, still not showing the slightest bit of apprehension at their position.

“I want to kill you,” Althea repeated, this time sounding more firm before she looked up and into his eyes. “But I also don’t want you gone… I don’t want this to end,” she admitted.

And therein lay the crux of it all, the inevitable truth that had been rearing its head again and again. She tried to steel herself against the overwhelming feeling of loss that welled up in her at the thought of doing what she was supposed to do. It lay in direct conflict with the guilt raging in her for even hesitating.

“No matter,” she managed to get out, swallowing down the bile in her throat. “I shouldn’t falter, you are a monster!”

If her declaration shocked or upset him, there wasn’t a single trace of it on his face. The only thing she could see in his hard and unrelenting eyes was gleeful anticipation.

“And what does that make you?” Zenos murmured, and just like that, Thea felt off-kilter again. What did that make her, indeed? She had no idea, but she couldn’t imagine anything even slightly favorable. The mere fact that she was so hesitant to do what needed to be done was unsettling. “I’ll tell you what I see when you are with them,” he added softly, catching her attention with how quiet his voice had gotten. “Your Scions, your friends, your cause…” All of a sudden, he leaned ever so slightly closer, the knife nearly cutting into his flesh before she moved her hand along with him. His voice was still quiet but hard as steel at his next words. “I see a trained _pet,_ ready to play fetch for her masters.”

“I am not a pet,” Thea hissed, hot anger running through her as her shaky grip on her knife turned firm again and she pushed back just enough to keep him from leaning even closer. It didn’t keep him from talking though.

“Tell me, _hero_ ,” Zenos said mockingly, a single eyebrow raised in disdain. “Have you ever taken up a blade for yourself, because you wanted to? Have you ever fought a fight just for you and not for someone else?”

“I fought you,” she shot back instantly. “No one made me come here tonight after all.” The words had left her out of reflex, but they hung filled with truth in the heavy air between them. A lost chakram was nothing to worry about. There would be a cheap replacement around every corner. And yet, his invitation had been too tempting to ignore. She had come for the look in his eyes when they circled each other. For the unmistakable thrill of danger in the air that spurred her on like nothing else. It felt nothing like fighting usually did. Where it normally was a means to an end, it became a goal all in itself with him around. But something in her almost recoiled at the thought. At the realization it brought with it, that describing what she did for the Scions as the actions of a trained pet did not feel too far off. “You would have me fight just like they do,” Althea finally got out in between clenched teeth, putting every bit of defiance she felt into her words. 

“Because you come alive during it,” Zenos said, and suddenly there was a glint in his eyes that was mesmerizing. “You’re not supposed to be a trained pet, you could be a wild beast instead. A force of nature, unburdened by the wants and needs of others.” His voice was but a low rumble at his point, and Thea felt the desire from earlier flame up anew as she stared at him. “I can see it plain as day,” Zenos murmured. “The need. You want to kill me with such fire in your eyes it makes my blood boil and my heart sing in elation. Don’t shy away from that, embrace it!”

Her throat dry, she swallowed at his words. Everything about this situation was absurd and unsettling at the same time, but something inside her felt an indescribable pull toward him. It had been there from the first time they met, but his words had managed to turn it into something so strong she wasn’t certain she even wanted to fight it anymore. It still posed the same dilemma as before, though.

“I don’t want this to end,” she said once more as she looked at him. “Don’t make me end this.” Her voice was firm but there was an undeniable plea behind it. Althea wanted nothing more than to do as he suggested. To embrace that terrifying side of her she had tried to keep at bay her entire life. To simply embrace all her impulse and just _be_. But she needed him for that. This weird, uncomfortable, and strangely freeing thing between them - she needed it with every fiber of her being. 

She wasn’t sure if it was her inner conflict or her admission itself that had made his smile grow, but Zenos looked at her like he had never seen something so pleasing to him. Slowly, he raised his hand until it clasped around her own still holding the knife at his throat. 

Pushing it down ever so slightly, the knife scraped over the soft skin of his neck. When it came to rest along his collarbone his grip suddenly turned harder, forcing her to push against him until she could see something give. “Then do the next best thing,” he murmured, and with utter fascination, Thea watched as he drew her hand with the knife slowly across his chest, a trickle of blood following in its wake. “Hurt me!”

Something happened at that moment, something irrevocable. As she tightened her grip around the knife, watching with something akin to reverence as it cut through his skin, Thea knew that nothing would be the same after this. His hand that had guided her let go all of a sudden, only to move along her arm and up her neck. Her ears twitched as Zenos grabbed her hair and pulled, forcefully moving her head back to look up at him.

“More!” he straight-up demanded, and Althea was mesmerized by the joyous spark in his eyes. As she moved the knife over his skin, leaving a pattern of small cuts behind, all thoughts of right or wrong left her. There was no room in her head for the worries about what she should or shouldn’t do anymore. Only this. Only him. 

And the terribly annoying inconvenience that was their clothes, she realized a moment later when he demanded more again. Following a whim, she went back to the first cut, placing the knife just where he had guided her, but this time she put more pressure on it. It was sharp enough to barely take any effort, and a dark thrill went through her as she cut deeper than before.

Zenos hissed sharply before the noise he made turned into a mixture of a deep growl and a desperate moan. His hand in her hair tightened into a painful grip, as he crushed her against him. He didn’t seem to care at all that the knife she still held between them could seriously injure him, as he kissed her with wild abandon. 

Zenos kissed exactly like he fought, Thea realized as she felt her legs go almost unsteady for a moment under the onslaught of sensations. He was both completely unhinged while somehow exuding a strange measure of control, and Thea shuddered as he nipped her lip again harshly. Her free hand clung to his shoulder as she tried to hold on, tried to not lose herself in the ocean of suddenly raging emotions that threatened to pull her under. 

If Thea was drowning then he was her air. 

She couldn’t do anything but gasp at it, reach for him and draw him in with all her might. She hadn’t been worried that he might kill her earlier, but now she knew she might just die without him. With the desire in her burning, she pushed until he gave in, letting her guide him around until it was him who was pressed against the rough stone wall, turning the knife around so she wouldn’t accidentally stab him before she started to tear at his clothes. 

When their mouths parted, she was left with the metallic taste of copper on her lips, and as her tongue darted out to taste her own blood, a needy growl left her throat. With no further words but with a knowing smile that was just as telling, Zenos’ hands were no longer in her hair, instead helping her with the task of removing all that stood still between them. Seams were tearing under rushed hands as he pulled the strings on her top lose. Thea didn’t care about the buttons she ripped off his shirt in turn, trying to get it open as best as possible with his heavy overcoat still in the way until a sudden noise ripped Althea out of her frenzy and her hands froze against his chest. 

Her ears twitched at the faint but unmistakable sound of armored boots on hard ground. A patrol, she realized. No matter how much Zenos had cleared the way for her, it seemed like the palace wasn’t as empty as it had looked. Her sudden stillness led him to give her a curious look, and Thea realized that while he had her beat on things like strength and battle prowess, her hearing was definitely superior. She listened carefully once more, tilting her head ever so slightly to narrow down the sounds. The patrol was still a bit away, on the other side of the large courtyard. It was no wonder that he hadn’t heard them yet, but they were definitely moving towards them.

“You didn’t send all your guards away,” she said plainly. A look of understanding appeared on his face, together with a small smile. Like he was pleased that she had noticed what he did. 

“They are not very close yet,” Zenos said, before kissing her again, going back to peeling the top she wore off her at the same time. The slight chill of the night air hit her overheated skin, and Thea shuddered against him. The thought of being discovered like this did not bother her the way it probably should, though with it came the chance of being interrupted, and she frowned.

“Will they leave us be?” she murmured her question against his lips but instead of giving her an answer, he drew back. A brief, thoughtful look was on his face before his hand clasped firmly around her arm as he stirred her toward the balcony doors. 

Behind the half-open door, she could see that inside lay a lavish room. One she had only seen in elaborate drawings of history books. The Royal bedchamber. It shouldn't surprise her that the balcony she found him on had been the one belonging to his chambers, and yet, it suddenly sent an entirely new shiver of unease through her. A passionate, heated tumble against a wall outside was one thing, yet as he led her inside and closed the balcony doors behind them with one hand, Thea couldn’t help but feel suddenly trapped. This was too intimate. Too real all of a sudden.

“You don’t like an audience then?” she asked with a gravelly voice, trying to not let shine through how unsettled she felt. 

Zenos either didn’t notice or he didn’t care. Or maybe he did and deliberately ignored it, as he shrugged off his coat before his hands were back on her. “I appreciate an audience,” he murmured, his voice sending a hot shiver of want down Thea’s back. “But if you plan on ever leaving this place again and show your face at your precious resistance, _you_ might not.” The thought should be unsettling, but somehow Althea suspected that the shiver running down her back at his words wasn’t as negative a reaction as it should be. 

She was still struggling with the sudden change of mood, torn between just giving in and the impulse to break into a run. She wanted this, after all. Wanted him. More than anything she had ever wanted before. As he undid her breastband Thea forced herself to relax under his touch. She wasn’t used to not taking the lead, but something inside her was strangely thrilled at the thought of just letting him do whatever he wanted for now. The breastband fell to the floor before he unceremoniously moved on to opening her pants. 

“Do your guards often take an extra effort to see what's going on on your balcony then?” she shot back flippantly as he pushed down her pants and underwear in one go, holding her steady as she stepped out of them. 

“Not usually,” Zenos said with what sounded almost like a chuckle. “They might feel obliged to come running if they hear screaming though,” he added just before his hands gripped her harder, turning her around and holding her tightly against his chest. “And since I’m determined to make you scream yourself hoarse, we simply can’t have that…” 

Before Thea could react, one of his hands clasped around hers and he had taken the small knife from her. She didn’t dare to move, holding her breath as she felt the cold tip run over her thigh. He wasn’t cutting her yet, and Thea was overwhelmed by just how strongly she wished that he would. 

He drew the knife up and along her body, still not cutting, only scratching over the sensitive skin on her hip, and Thea started to tremble from anticipation as she looked down, following his hand with her eyes. His low voice seemed to vibrate on her skin as he murmured, “How is your healing magic?”

Thea let out a startled gasp as he adjusted his grip and changed the angle. The tip of the blade pressed gently into the soft skin of her stomach as he held the knife like he was about to stab her, and she swallowed. “Very spotty without my tools.”

The pressure became more, just for the smallest of moments, as a drop of blood appeared around the tip, but with a thoughtful hum, he suddenly let off, changing the angle again as he went back to the teasing scratches from before. “Another time then,” came his voice laden with promise from behind her, and Thea couldn’t hold back the moan that broke from her lips. 

The situation was absurd in its entirety, and Thea felt a desperate laugh bubbling up in her throat. This was so far beyond the limits of sanity she could scarcely believe it, and yet the throbbing need between her legs was undeniable. She had long suspected that she wasn’t entirely sane, and here she was, in the arms of someone just as mad as she was, quivering with need at the thought of him tearing her apart. And the equally disturbing need she felt to do the same to him. 

“Another time,” she agreed, and she could feel his excited breath against her neck. 

Zenos was a solid presence at her back. It felt strangely arousing to be completely naked in his arms while he was, as of yet, still mostly clothed. Thea could feel the warmth of his skin hot against her back where his shirt was torn open, just as she felt the rougher edges of his belt pushing against her lower back. Even through the pants he still wore she could feel how much he wanted her as he drew the knife up her body again, leaving shallow cuts here and there. They were barely enough to get a hiss out of her until the blade came to rest at her throat in a clearly threatening gesture. His other hand dipped between her legs, fingers parting her folds and pushing into her dripping wet heat. As he pressed the knife closer, Thea clenched around his fingers, with a needy sound leaving her lips. 

“Please,” she whispered, not daring to move her head even the slightest bit. “Please, I need...” she trailed off, interrupted by another moan, as Zenos twisted his fingers inside of her. Her knees almost buckled as the movement pressed her dangerously close to the knife.

“More… You need more. Always so much more,” he murmured from behind her. There was a hint of elation in his voice as he continued, “Just like me, always chasing, always on the hunt, always looking for _more_.” He moved the knife to her shoulder, finally pressing down enough to draw blood, and Althea shook in his arms at the sudden stab of pain. A moment later, he let go, drawing out a sound of protest from her before he spun her around again and guided her toward the bed with deft moves.

“You shall have it,” Zenos growled before pushing her down onto the sheets, not caring at all that the drops of blood from her shoulder started to stain the light fabric red. Roughly, he spread her legs apart, and a second later, she felt the knife run along the inside of her thigh, cutting into her flesh just as his mouth closed around the center of her pleasure. Shock, both at the sudden pain, and the toe-curling pleasure went through her, and Althea screamed.

Zenos’ mouth on her was unlike anything she ever felt before. Like his kisses before, like the fights they had fought, he moved like a force of nature. His tongue dipped inside of her teasingly before running up and curling around her clit just as he cut her again, deeper this time. With an obscene noise, he drew away from her center, only to lick languidly along the cut on her thigh, catching her blood with his tongue before he was back on her. When his lips closed tightly around her core, riling her up even further with strong sucks and a hint of teeth, Thea fell apart under him. 

Zenos didn’t let up as he cut her again, lighter this time, barely even drawing blood but it was enough. Helplessly, she bucked into his mouth as the combination of stinging pain, and his tongue flicking hard against her clit, culminated into mind-blowing pleasure. Althea screamed again, as the intensity of it all drove tears into her eyes, and for a moment, everything turned black as she rode out her orgasm against his mouth, her eyes clenched shut.

When she opened them again, she saw him draw back with a look of pure heat in his eyes. Zenos’ smile was equal parts enticing and terrifying as he looked at her full of hunger. His tongue flicking out to lick over red-stained lips that glistened with her slick, and Thea felt her breath stuck in her throat. 

He moved again, putting the knife aside as he got up to finally get rid of the rest of his clothes while she could do nothing but watch, her heart still racing in her chest. It didn’t take long before he was back on the bed, hovering above her for a moment before bending down to kiss her again. Thea could taste herself and the tang of blood on his lips as she sighed into the kiss. It was slower than before, but with an underlying urgency that belied his pace. As did Zenos’ hard length pressing against her stomach, sending a renewed flicker of blissful pain through her as he slowly dragged himself against the cuts on her skin. 

When he stopped kissing her, the sudden gentleness as he drew a strand of hair out of her face almost had her reeling with the unexpected surge of emotion it brought with it. His thumb caught a stray tear, wiping it carefully over her cheek.

“You look beautiful when you cry,” he murmured, and Thea swallowed under his gaze. 

“Doesn’t everyone though?” she asked, her voice dry in her throat as she didn’t know just what to feel when he looked at her like that. Like she was the only thing in the world worth seeing. 

Zenos' smile widened before he held her tighter again, and a moment later, Thea felt the world around her shift as he turned them around and she found herself on top of him. Without preamble, he grabbed her hips, lifting her up until she could sink down onto his cock. The sudden stretch and the feeling of fullness drew a strangled cry from her throat, and instinctively, she began to rock her hips against him. His hand clasping hers pulled her out of the hazy sense of pleasure already returning to her. She felt something hard in her hand and Thea realized a second later, that he was deliberately closing her fingers around the hilt of the knife again.

“Let’s find out,” he said with a glint in his eyes and a clear challenge in his voice, as he leaned back against the pillows, leaving her in charge of just what to do next. And as Thea brought the knife to his chest again, there was no trace of feeling trapped anymore. Instead, she felt utterly free as she realized she was no longer surprised about just how right the world felt in that moment.

**Author's Note:**

> [Come talk to me over on tumblr ^^](https://kunstpause.tumblr.com)


End file.
